Door-support.



R. A. SHEPARD.

DOOR SUPPORT. APPLICATION IILED SEPT. 26, 1910.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

ll STATES PATENT OllFlCE.

DOOR-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

"a'tented Aug. 8, 1911.

Application filed September 26, 1910. Serial No. 583,961.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l. RICHARD A. SHEPARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at,

Burlington, in the county of Ghittenden and State of Vern'iout, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in D00lf-Sllpports, of which the tollowii'ig is a specification, referent-e being had therein. to the accompanying drawing.

ltz'l'y invention relates to improvements in door supports, and pertains more particularly to those used on car doors.

The object of my invention is to provide a support off this character in whtch the door can be more readily moved by pressure on any part of the door without causing the door to jam in the guide-ways.

Another object of my invention is to provide a more simple. cheap and. ell'ective sup port of this character having certain details hereinafter more fully described.

in the accompanying tliaiviiigs-l igilrc 1 is a side elevation of my improved door support as applied to a car. l ig. is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2 42 Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing the balls for supporting the door upon the track. Fig. ".1- is an enlarged bottom perspective ol' the door showing the ball rctaining plate secured thereto.

In doors of this clnuracter, and especially doors applied to cars, there has been considerable trouble in opening the door from the outside. A car door is usually several [cut from the ground and any one attempting to open the door with the usual hanger. takes hold oflhe door at its lower end and thus causes the jamming of the door. at the upper end. in my in'iproved door a. pushing or pulling ael'ion on the lower end;thereo.li will cause the door to readily slide upon its track and any similar action on any other part of the door will likewise cause a free movement oi the door.

Referring now to the drawing, 1 represents the side of a ear having adjacent the roof a guide 2, in which the upper end of the door I, is free. to move. The side of the car is provided with the usual dooropcning l. which is of a width approximately that of the door The guide 2 extends some dista'nee beyond the door opening 4-, as will be umlerstood by those skilled in the art. Adjacent one side of the door-openin a ver- 1 u v a Meal strip, to l'orm a stop to l mit the .movement of the door in closing the openin A stop at the opposite end prevents the door from leaving the track on which it. slides.

At the lower end of the door opening t, is the combined track and guide 7. This guide or track may be made in a single piece, or in several sections, as clearly shown in Fig. 'l of the drawings. The guide as shown, pr-i l'crablymade of metal, and havnw at its l|)\\'\'|' ends the downward )ro' jeeting lugs 2 hr means ol' which it is cured to the lower .earl of the ear 9, by means olf bolts llt. 'lhis-guide is provided with a broad llal lun-ixonlal portion 11. having a V-shapcd hori/nnual groove ll in its upper face extending it entire length. The outer edge of the guide 1'. is provided with a vertical hnlgitudinal y e.\teinli'.ig llange 1-2, which extends up along the side ol the door and serves as an additional means for preventing any lateral movement of the door. This llungc lil. as shown does not [it close to the door. but is spaced slightly therefrom to allow a tree movenn-nt ol' the door within the guide.

The door .7 may be made of any desired form and is provided at its lower end with a plate l3, which is of a width qual. to the thicltness ol' the door and extends the entire length thereof. The ends ol. said plate 13 are turned upwardly. as indicated at. l-il and -15. and are mortised into the edges of the door so as to bringthe outer faces of the ends lsl and lo llush with the outer edges of the door. The said plate l adjacent each end ol. the door is provided with a circular opening 1.8, which has its walls 19 slightly concavcd, as clearly shown in .l ig. 2.5 of the drawings. The wood of the l'rame of the door 5 above said openings is cut away, as indicated at ill), to allow the balls to he inserted therein. and prevent any frictional contact between the wood of the door and the ball. The halls it, rest in the openings 1S, and are free to rotate therein. The halls also travel in the V-shaped groove ll. and provide a very smooth running door. The door being held against vertical movement by the guide 2, it will be. seen that the balls travel in. the groove 11. and, carried by the openings .18, there will be little or no.lateral movement of the door.

lWhilo l have shown but two balls supporting the door, it will be understood that any desired number may be used. Two halls are preferred, as they are sullicient to support the door and to allow of its free movement k and the least nuniltfer' of balls used the less will be the liability of injury thereto. The

balls being spaced apart they cannot bind upon each other and groove 11 bein consid- As heretofore stated, a car door' is very often-operated fI'Qmille outside and the door becoming jammed."

shown in my invention can operated from any pointwithou't any liability of the door Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patcured to-the lower ed e of the door and havends mortised in the ent is v 1. The combination with a suitable frame, ofa door, a slidefor the upper end of the door; a track below the lower end of the door,'a plate-extending along the. lower face of the door and having upwardly turned ends secured to the edge-of the'doors, said late Having: ball retaining openings and alls within. said openings and having greater di 1 ameter than that of the opening and adapted to. travel'on said track.

2. The combination with a suitable frame,

of a door, a 'uide for the 'upper end of the door, a'traokhelow the door, said, track having a "longitudinal .V-shaped groove in its upper face and an upwardly extending flan e adapted to engage the side of the door an plate secured to the lower edge of thwdoor and having jlipwardly turned endsmortised 4 in the edges of the door means for-securing the'upwardly turned en j of the plaieto the,

door, said plate having ball retalning 'openings, and-balls within said-openings and-:-

adapted to ,travel in the \L-shaped groove. and ofa diarneter slightly greater than that of the openings 4 a 3. The combination with a suitablejframe',

of a door, a ide for'the up per end of the door, a track low the door having a long'itudinal V-shaped groove in its upper face and an upwardly extendin flange adapted to engage the side of the oor, a plate seing upwardly turne edges of the door, means for securing the ends of the plate to the door, said plates hav} 'ing hall retaining openings having eonoaved walls, the door above the openings-having recessesito'prevent frictional contact between i the balls and door and 'balls within said open.- ings' and adapted to travel in the V-shaped groove and of a diameter slightly greater than that of the openings.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiximy' signature, in the presence of two witnesses. RICHARD A. SHEPARD.

-- Witnesses: V

-MART1N G. VSILLIMAN, CHARLEs E. ALLEN. 

